Moonlight
by AlexMax
Summary: Tenchi loses his temper and snaps at one of the girls. Will he have the chance to apologize? (Remake of Endless Dream)


AlexMax presents...  
  
- = = = = -  
  
Moonlight: Special Edition  
  
- = = = = -  
  
- = FORWARD = -  
  
Well, here it is, boys and girls. The Special Edition of the fic that  
  
I thought I would never complete. And it has been a long time. In one  
  
form or another, this fic has been over one and a half to two years in  
  
the making, with on and off work. I am making no promises that this is  
  
the best fanfic ever. But I am promising that this fic will be one  
  
that will be more than the standard newbie fic.  
  
Why special edition? Well, the stories had been released on  
  
fanfiction.net (and an even earlier version on TMFFA, where most of the  
  
following things seem to come from) for some time, and I have received  
  
much fan email, an interview with Da Brits, and to wit the story  
  
Wasn't even completely proofread. If It's that good without  
  
proofreading, it must mean something. But I felt like I owed it to the  
  
senior members of the community to proofread the story and re-release  
  
it, this time on the TMFFA. And when I release the second chapter of  
  
the special edition of this story on the TMFFA, the people who frequent  
  
the TMFFA will finally have access to the complete story.  
  
I thank you for reading this forward. And without further ado, I  
  
present Moonlight.  
  
- = = = -  
  
"I was searching for a man...all across Japan...  
  
Just to find...to find my Samurai.  
  
Someone who was strong...and still a little shy...  
  
Yes I need...I need my Samurai.  
  
Ayi yi yi, I'm your little butterfly...  
  
Green, Black and Blue make the colors of the sky...  
  
Ayi yi yi, I'm your little butterfly...  
  
Green, Black and Blue make the colors of the sky...  
  
Ay yi yi, ay yi yi, ay yi yi, Where's my Samurai?  
  
Ay yi yi, ay yi yi, ay yi yi, Where's my Samurai?"  
  
-"Butterfly", Smile.dk  
  
Ah, what a nice day to go for a walk." Tenchi thought to himself.  
  
And it was. It was an unseasonably cool day. The last few days had  
  
gone by in the high nineties, but today was a refreshing break from the  
  
blistering heat of the summer. It was near the middle of July, that  
  
time of year when Mother Nature let you know it *was* summer, with the  
  
heat to back it up. Today, it seems like she had finally let up.  
  
Tenchi glanced around at his surroundings. The trees were covered in  
  
green, providing much-needed shade for the creatures below, In about  
  
another two or three months, the leaves would start losing color again  
  
and start falling off. He missed the leaves on the trees durring the  
  
winter. The serene landscape surrounding his home just Didn't feel the  
  
same without them.  
  
But Tenchi knew the leaves would fall. Just like last year...  
  
...Which was around the time when he had awakened Ryoko...  
  
Tenchi sighed, and thought back to when his life first was turned  
  
upside-down.  
  
About nine months ago, a series of events happened that Tenchi would  
  
never have guessed would happen, and when it was all said in done,  
  
there were five girls from outte space that had taken residence in his  
  
house. What used to be a very quiet and very ordinary lifestyle  
  
quickly turned upside down. He became involved in all sorts of  
  
adventures, from having his house relocated and his school destroyed,  
  
to battleing the evil Kagato, to chasing after the infamous Dr. Clay,  
  
whose motives seemed to serve a higher purpose than science. Those  
  
Were certainly wild adventures, and sometimes Tenchi learned a thing or  
  
two about himself and the world around him, but in the end, this always  
  
seemed to work out.  
  
Looking back, though, he Couldn't imagine a more furfilling life.  
  
Things had quieted down in the past few months or so. After the last  
  
incident with Dr. Clay and the unexpected visit from the Emperor of  
  
Jurai, things had returned to normal. Or at least as normal as life  
  
could be with four or five girls from outter space living in your  
  
house. Tenchi enjoyed the relative quiet.  
  
But there was something that bothered him when things slowed down.  
  
Nothing ever *happened*.  
  
As much as Tenchi hated to admit it, he kind of liked in when there  
  
was something interesting going on. Sure, sometimes interesting meant  
  
saving the world from an evil space pirate, or staring death in the eye  
  
when you are about to be sucked into a black hole, but at least it was  
  
*something*.  
  
It was so quiet that Tenchi had even considered going to Tokyo to  
  
continue his training, once, but he decided against it, favoringthe  
  
relatively quiet going lifestyle he already had to a new one in Tokyo.  
  
Not that his life was quiet, but Tokyo Wasn't the sort of excitement  
  
that Tenchi liked. He prefered to stay where he was.  
  
Tenchi absorbed the atmosphere and sighed as he walked. Already, the  
  
sun was becoming lower in the sky and the sky itself was begining to  
  
turn from blue to a reddish pink.  
  
"Good evening, Lord Tenchi!"  
  
"Yes, welcome home, Lord Tenchi!"  
  
Tenchi snapped back to reality. He found himself to be at the front  
  
gate of his house, where Azaka and Kamadake were waiting. He must had  
  
lost himself in thought while he was walking. He smiled and gave the  
  
guardians a nod of acknowledgement.  
  
"Thank you." Said Tenchi, almost as an afterthought.  
  
With that, he continued walking up the path. He could see his house  
  
quite clearly now. The evening sun added an orange tone of color to  
  
the normally white and red house. The nearby lake reflected the sun's  
  
warming rays off of its cool surface, dancing in some pattern that  
  
seemed random and uniform at the same time. Tenchi admired his  
  
surroundings. To think that his dad had designed this house, for  
  
himself and his wife...  
  
Unbeknownst to his concious mind, Tenchi sighed at the thought of his  
  
mother...  
  
...And actually, this location suited the house a lot better than the  
  
crowded neighborhood. The view of the lake from the house was a lot  
  
better than the view of the street that it used to look out on. Tenchi  
  
Smiled, Ryoko and Ayeka Hadn't done a bad job of picking this spot,  
  
however accidently they may have chosen it. And not only that, it  
  
allowed him to go to his training a lot more often...although if that  
  
was a good thing or a bad thing was still in question.  
  
Tenchi found himself in front of the door to his house. Glancing over  
  
his shoulder, he sighed and turned the doorknob...  
  
...And found himself on the ground in a matter of seconds. Tenchi  
  
Yelled, out of suprise, and when he came to his senses, he glanced up  
  
at the figure who had seemingly come out of nowhere, hugging him  
  
tightly. Much to his dismay, it was Ryoko.  
  
*Dismay?*  
  
Well, maybe dismay Wasn't the correct word for this situation. Ryoko  
  
Did have a soft spot for Tenchi, and Tenchi Couldn't just brush Ryoko  
  
off. They had saved each others life on more than one occasion, and  
  
they did care about each other. Tenchi just wished the she Wouldn't  
  
be so...  
  
...Rough.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi! How I missed you so!" Said Ryoko, her eyes shut tightly,  
  
and her embrace almost strangling poor Tenchi.  
  
"Whh....wait a minute, Ryoko...." Sputtered Tenchi. He still Hadn't  
  
fully recovered from the shock of a few seconds ago.  
  
Ryoko opened her eyes and looked down at Tenchi, her feline amber eyes  
  
looking straight at him. She giggled, slightly.  
  
"What?", she asked, as innocently as she could.  
  
"Well...." Said Tenchi. But before he could talk, Ryoko interrupted  
  
him.  
  
"I just missed you *so* much, Tenchi." Said Ryoko, with a smile.  
  
"But... Ryoko.... Do you think you could let me up?" Said Tenchi, still  
  
dumbstruck.  
  
Ryoko smiled. "Sure" she said. "All you need to do is ask." And with  
  
that, she vanished and materialized again, this time upright. Dusting  
  
Off his clothes, Tenchi slowly got up.  
  
"Ryoko, could you please not do that again?" Tenchi said.  
  
Ryoko looked hurt. But Tenchi's instinct told him that it was fake.  
  
Small wonder, since Ryoko always seemed to like to play around like  
  
that.  
  
Suddenly, Ryoko smiled again. She rematerialzed beside Tenchi and put  
  
her arm around him.  
  
"So," she said. "How was sword practice...hmm?"  
  
Tenchi sweated profusely. "Uh...fine, I guess." Then, he decided to  
  
end the conversation then and there, before anyone saw them. "Well, I  
  
gotta go inside to eat dinner! See Ya' later."  
  
And with that, he ran into the house. With a sigh, Ryoko vanished.  
  
Tenchi walked into the living room. Through the windows, Tenchi could  
  
see the sky turn an even deeper shade of red as the sun sank lower in  
  
the sky. It was a beautiful thing, one of the many small things that  
  
Tenchi appreciated about living in a secluded area as opposed to a  
  
large city.  
  
All of the sudden, Tenchi heard footsteps coming from the kitchen,  
  
running toward the living room. Tenchi turned around and saw Sasami  
  
stick her head out of the Kitchen.  
  
"Hey Tenchi!" Said Sasami. Then, she yelled "Hey everyone! Tenchi is  
  
home from training!"  
  
Tenchi smiled. Sasami was always glad when Tenchi got home. She  
  
Really looked up to him, although obviously not in a romantic way.  
  
After all, she was only ten.  
  
"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Announced Sasami.  
  
"Thanks, Sasami. I'm kinda hungry, but I think I might have a shower  
  
before then."  
  
Sasami giggled at Tenchi. Then, she ran back into the kitchen.  
  
Tenchi glanced back into the living room. He heard footsteps coming  
  
from upstairs, and glanced up the stairwell. At the top of the stairs,  
  
Ayeka stood there, smiling. Upon seeing Tenchi, she nodded and spoke  
  
"Good evening, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Hey there Ayeka!" Responded Tenchi, with a smile. Tenchi liked  
  
Ayeka's gentile manner better than Ryoko's in-your-face attitude. But  
  
Somehow, Ayeka always seemed so ... Unreachable. She was always  
  
walking around with her head held high. That is, until something had  
  
offended her. And when it did, her prim and proper manner quickly gave  
  
way to unmatched fury. Unmated, except for perhaps her biggest rival.  
  
Ryoko, on the other hand, was playful, and seemed to treat almost  
  
everything as a game. She was so...feline, in her manners, which was  
  
pretty much doing whatever she wanted. Her play habits often got her  
  
into trouble, sometimes seriously so. And when it Didn't, it certainly  
  
scared the hell out of Tenchi. And when something got in her way, or  
  
rather, *someone* got in her way, she too had the potential to dish out  
  
much pain and suffering for her part.  
  
Tenchi sighed. Somehow, it was impossible to dismiss either of the  
  
girls completely. After all, they both had feelings too.  
  
Ayeka slowly started walking down the stairs, then stopped suddenly  
  
when she was at the bottom. Tenchi looked at Ayeka. She seemed to  
  
have a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"Oh my word, Lord Tenchi, you have dust all over your clothes and  
  
face!" Said Ayeka, looking over Tenchi. "How did you get them so  
  
dirty?"  
  
"Ah...well" said Tenchi, nervously putting his hand behind his head.  
  
He glanced down at his clothes. *Damn, Ryoko made them so dirty when  
  
she knocked me down!* he thought to himself. But he Didn't say a word.  
  
If he told Ayeka that Ryoko had knocked him down, that would only cause  
  
trouble, something he truly Didn't need after a long day.  
  
Before Ayeka could inquire into the matter further, Tenchi heard a  
  
voice behind him.  
  
"Hey there Tenchi..."  
  
Tenchi turned around. Seeing nothing but the top of a stylized hairdo,  
  
he glanced down. Sure enough, Washu was standing right there, eyeing  
  
him expectantly. Tenchi continued to stare at Washu. A look of  
  
suprise came over Washu, but quickly faded and turned into a smile.  
  
"What, Aren't you gonna' give little Washu a hug?"  
  
Tenchi stood there, dumbfounded.  
  
"Well....I'm sorry, err..little Washu, but I normally think of you as a  
  
scientist..."  
  
Washu still maintained her smile.  
  
"Oh, forget about that. Sure, I might be the smartest person in the  
  
universe, but I'm still little." She brightened her smile even more  
  
and clasped her hands together, for effect.  
  
Tenchi sighed. He could never seem to figure Washu out. She always  
  
wanted to be treated like a child, yet she truely had the IQ's of  
  
everyone in the household combined. She was in her lab all the time,  
  
and was always coming up with some new invention or theory or  
  
calculation. All of which was way over his head.  
  
And that *sample*, she had tried to get from him that one time...  
  
Tenchi shuddered at the thought. He still had nightmares about it,  
  
and some of them Didn't end up with Mihoshi blundering in on them.  
  
Deciding that it was no use reminding himself of such a thing at this  
  
point, he abandoned that train of thought.  
  
Suddenly, something struck him as odd.  
  
"Washu..." Tenchi started to say.  
  
Washu glared at him. Tenchi sighed and continued.  
  
"*Little* Washu."  
  
Washu smiled. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"Why are you outside of your lab? You usually never come out of  
  
there."  
  
"Well, to be honest, all I wanted to do was get my dinner and go back  
  
to work. Normally, Sasami could bring me some dinner, but I have  
  
nothing pressing at the moment, so I decided to come out instead."  
  
Tenchi sighed with relief. He Didn't feel like being a 'guinna pig'  
  
in another experiment right now.  
  
"So....uh..." Said Ayeka, trying to figure out a way to change the  
  
subject. "...How are your experiments doing?"  
  
Washu's face brightened with delight.  
  
"Well, I just figured out how to organize the combined space of matter  
  
in such a way that I can..." Said Washu.  
  
Tenchi and Ayeka phacephaulted on the spot.  
  
It was a full minute before Washu noticed their expressions and decided to  
  
quit talking.  
  
All of the sudden, the front door slammed.  
  
"Hello?" Yelled Tenchi. But he already knew who it was.  
  
Sure enough, Noboyuki, emerged from the hallway into the living room.  
  
"Hello everyone, I'm home!" He said. Then, seeing Washu, Ayeka and  
  
Tenchi in the living room, he smiled and waved to them.  
  
"Well, guess who is home early." Said Washu, with a smile.  
  
"Yep!" Said Noboyuki with a grin. "I had to work today since I was  
  
working on some big project that I needed to finnish before Monday.  
  
But I finnished earlier than I expected, so I decided to come home."  
  
He sighed. "I wish my boss would quit giving me such long hours. It  
  
Would be nice to be around the house for a while."  
  
Tenchi winced.  
  
"Oh come on." Said Tenchi. "You are just trying to work hard so you  
  
Won't get fired after that last *incident* with that secretary."  
  
Noboyuki frowned.  
  
"But she was nice enough to get me some tea..."  
  
"That is her *job*, dad. For the last time, she is *not* trying to  
  
hit on you."  
  
"Still, I Don't think that my boss should take it so hard." Said  
  
Noboyuki.  
  
"Dad! That is called sexual harassment! She could sue the company!  
  
What is he *supposed* to do, give you a slap on the wrist?"  
  
"Well, at least I can feel *comfortable* around women." Said Noboyuki.  
  
"*You* on the other hand..."  
  
"...Is perfectly comfortable around women." Said Ryoko, materializing  
  
with her arm around Tenchi. "Aren't you, Tenchi." She added, with a  
  
feline smile.  
  
Tenchi nearly jumped out of his skin.  
  
*God, that is the SECOND time today that has happened!* Tenchi mused  
  
to himself.  
  
Ayeka groaned noticably, but Ryoko pertended like she Didn't notice.  
  
"Aren't you." Ryoko asked again, with a slight giggle. She started  
  
to slowly trace her finger seductively across Tenchi's chest.  
  
Tenchi started to sweat. *Oh no, not this again* he thought to  
  
himself.  
  
"Well....uh....well..." Tenchi stammered, trying to think of something  
  
that Wouldn't get Ryoko or Ayeka mad at him. It was always a balancing  
  
act for him, especially in these kidns of situations. He Didn't want  
  
to dismiss either of them, but lately, it had been getting harder and  
  
harder.  
  
He glanced over his shoulder, at Ayeka. She was Balling up her fists,  
  
and noticably fuming. He gulped, knowing that the wrong answer would  
  
result in a remarkably nasty fight.  
  
"See what I mean?" Said Noboyuki, with a triumphant smile. "You are  
  
scared of women. What is there to be scared about?"  
  
Washu started to laugh, finding this situation particularly  
  
entertaining.  
  
"Dad, I am *not* scared of women!" Tenchi said, still fighting Ryoko's  
  
strong grip. But she held firm, giggiling as she watched Tenchi  
  
struggle. Tenchi slowly turned a beet red.  
  
"Look at you." Said Noboyuki. "You are trying to get away from one of  
  
your girlfriends. If I was in your position, I would take this  
  
opportunity without a second thought. If your mother could see you  
  
now..."  
  
"What does mother have to do with it?" Yelled Tenchi, trying to pull  
  
Ryoko arm off of him. "And what do you mean I should 'take this  
  
opportunity'?"  
  
"Like I said." Said Noboyuki ,"You're scared. You need to..."  
  
"I can see why he would be." Muttered Ayeka under her breath.  
  
Ryoko let go of Tenchi and unceremoniously dropped him to the floor  
  
with a thud. She glared up at Ayeka with a dangerous look.  
  
"What did you say?" Growled Ryoko.  
  
"Oh nothing." Said Ayeka, with a giggle. "I was just observing how you  
  
were attempting to seduce Lord Tenchi with such behavior. With that  
  
kind of behavior, no wonder he is scared of you."  
  
"What's wrong with that? After all, *I'm* not afraid to show my love  
  
to Tenchi. You, on the other hand, just sit there, high and mighty,  
  
with your nose straight up in the air, embarrassed because you are  
  
afraid that you might get *contaminated* if anyone touches you." Ryoko  
  
Shot back, adding a smirk for extra punch. Ayeka turned a deep shade  
  
of purple and started to shake.  
  
"How *DARE* you!" Spat Ayeka. "At least I'm not resorting to tatics  
  
of the common tiger, trying to win over a poor, hapless boy by boxing  
  
him into a corner, waiting to devour him like a piece of meat! I love  
  
Tenchi with every fibre of my being, and you Don't see *me* chasing  
  
him."  
  
Tenchi, unbeknownst to both Ayeka and Ryoko, started to sweat profusely.  
  
"Hey, little princess, It's first come, first serve." Responded Ryoko,  
  
nonchalantly. "Do you think I would be like you and sit on my ass,  
  
dreaming about him and get *nowhere*? I just have the courage to  
  
express my feelings, and you Don't."  
  
"Humph" said Ayeka, puffing out her chest. "I Don't see him running  
  
away from *me*."  
  
"I Don't see you chasing him, princess." Ryoko shot back. "And you are  
  
in no position to be puffing your chest out at anyone, especially  
  
*me*!" Added Ryoko, with a grin, folding her arms on her chest.  
  
Ayeka fumed, getting the point.  
  
"Well, I Don't *need* them." Snapped Ayeka. "For one, my looks alone  
  
could easily get me any man in the universe..."  
  
"Your *crown* could get anyone in the universe!" Laughed Ryoko. Ayeka  
  
Apparently ignored this insult and continued.  
  
"...And two, I Don't use them for exhibiting myself to other men.  
  
Unlike *someone* I know, for whom that's the only thing she has got  
  
going for her.", finnished Ayeka. She paused breifly, thinking of a  
  
way to antagonize the pirate further, and continued.  
  
"Admit it. The only reason you are remotely taking *any* interest in  
  
Tenchisama is for his body. Either that, or his gems that will give  
  
you enough power to return to your former vile self. But in the first  
  
case, why Don't you just pack up and leave. There are *plenty* other  
  
men that would be eager to sleep with you. Just wander around downtown  
  
Tokyo for a night."  
  
Ryoko amber eyes were now an inferno of rage and hate.  
  
"Why you little..." Growled Ryoko. But then, something occurred to her.  
  
Deciding to try a different tack one that might catch the princess off  
  
guard, she smiled evilly and spoke:  
  
"And why are *you* taking intrest in Tenchi... hmmmm???" Said Ryoko.  
  
Ayeka looked stunned. She Hadn't been prepared for this question.  
  
"I... I..." Said Ayeka. Ryoko had been right, Ayeka Wasn't prepared  
  
for this counterattack. Frantically, her eyes darted around the room,  
  
looking for Tenchi. Then she saw him. He was almost at the top of the  
  
stairs. When Tenchi noticed Ayeka looking at him, he jumped, knowing  
  
he had been spotted.  
  
"Tenchisama, where are you going?" Asked Ayeka.  
  
"Uhhh... I was just going to take a shower." Said Tenchi, nervously.  
  
With that, he ran the rest of the way up the stairs and darted down the  
  
hall, out of sight.  
  
*A shower?* thought Ayeka. *Why a shower? He Hadn't even had dinner  
  
yet.* But before she could continue this train of thought, she saw her  
  
advasery floating up the stairs.  
  
"Wait for me, Tenchi!" Yelled Ryoko.  
  
"WHAT?!" Screamed Ayeka. "RYOKO! WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU  
  
ARE DOING?!" A split-second later, she was darting up the stairs,  
  
running after Ryoko. She caught up with Ryoko as she was rounding the  
  
corner, body slamming Ryoko into the wall, making a noticabe crack in  
  
the wall. Ryoko got up and glared at Ayeka, her eyes glowing a  
  
dangerous amber.  
  
"What the HELL was that for?" Yelled Ryoko.  
  
"Ryoko, I can not permit you to take a shower with Tenchisama."  
  
Growled Ayeka.  
  
"Really?" Said Ryoko. "I Don't see your crown anywhere near here. So  
  
I want to take a shower with Tenchi. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Filthy pirate, I hope you are more intelligent that you are appearing  
  
to be." Spat Ayeka. "You know as well as I do that it would embarrass  
  
him. Not to mention the fact that he appals the very sight of you."  
  
"He can get used to it." Said Ryoko, with a sly grin. "Like I said,  
  
*I'm* not afraid to show my love for Tenchi."  
  
"Showing your love for Tenchisama by forcing him to take a shower with  
  
you, in the hopes that he will get used to it?" Yelled Ayeka. "My, you  
  
certainly have a twisted sense of logic."  
  
Ryoko cocked her eyebrow defiantly. "Twisted or not, I am taking a  
  
shower with Tenchi, and there Isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me,  
  
little princess. I'm warning you, Don't get in my way." And with that  
  
she turned around and started walking toward the bathroom.  
  
Suddenly, she staggered back in pain as a flash of light enveloped the  
  
hallway. Letting out a yell, she convulsed as the Jurain shock wave  
  
flowed through her body like molten lava. Staggering, she fell to the  
  
floor. As she lay there, she heard Ayeka's voice.  
  
"Oh really, you nauseating... *demon*."  
  
A surge of anger flowed through Ryoko. Quick as lightning, she was on  
  
her feet again. With a brilliant flash of orange light, her energy  
  
sward appeared in her hands, the soft glow of the beam reflecting off  
  
of everything in the relatively dark hallway. Her eyes glowed like hot  
  
coals, and they Weren't about to be extinguished yet.  
  
Ayeka was still standing there, unflinching. A soft glow seemed to  
  
come from her, and beside her the two guardians Azaka and Kamadake sat,  
  
ready to fight. Her arms were on her hips, daring the demon to attack  
  
her.  
  
In a movemnt almost to quick to see, Ryoko made a flying leap at Ayeka,  
  
her sward blazing through the air with a soft hum, unaudiable over the  
  
scream of fury that came from Ryoko herself.  
  
Meanwhile, in the bathroom down the hall, Tenchi had gotten into the  
  
shower. As he stepped in, he did a brief check of the walls, floor and  
  
ceiling. Relieved that Ryoko's face was not sticking out of any of  
  
them, he turned on the hot water. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Finally, he was alone.  
  
Outside, Tenchi could hear the sound of combat, reverberating into the  
  
bathroom.  
  
*Those girls are at it again.* he thought. *Well, it was inevitable,  
  
and this time I managed to get out of their way before it started.*  
  
He sighed and lost himself in thought as the shower head sprayed water  
  
over him, massaging him, relaxing him.  
  
Tenchi listened once more. The sounds of combat still echoed through  
  
the air. He sighed, and was reaching over for a bar of soap when  
  
something occurred to him.  
  
Those sounds were awfully loud.  
  
Suddenly, Tenchi felt a strange feeling that he was not safe where he  
  
was. A little voice inside him screamed at him. *GET OUT OF THERE!  
  
RUN!*. But Tenchi ignored it. As long as they were outside...  
  
*Wait a second! Those sounds are much too loud to be coming from  
  
outside. Oh my god, they are in the hallway...*   
  
All of the sudden, there was a very loud and unceremonious  
  
***BOOM***. As bits of plaster and wood came flying out of the wall,  
  
Tenchi kneeled down and covered his head with his hands, almost certain  
  
that the ceiling was going to cave in on him at any second. He  
  
Trembled, anticipating the worst.  
  
But it never came.  
  
Shivering, Tenchi slowly lowered his hands and stood up. He glanced  
  
around the bathroom. Other than a few bits of broken plaster on the  
  
floor, and the fact that there was no longer any water coming out of  
  
the shower head, it Didn't look like any major damage had come of it  
  
*Damnit!* Tenchi thought to himself. *I have to fix the damn plumbing  
  
AGAIN!*  
  
Suddenly, something struck Tenchi as not being quite right.  
  
*Man, It's awfully drafty in here* he thought to himself.  
  
For some odd reason, he heard someone gasp.  
  
*Huh? That doesn't make any sense either.*  
  
Something clicked in Tenchi's brain, and he Didn't like it at all.  
  
Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around.  
  
There was a big hole in the wall where the door and one of the walls of  
  
the shower had been only a few seconds ago. On the other side, Ayeka  
  
and Ryoko were staring at him, Bugeyed. The hall was a mess, with  
  
bits of wood and plaster all over the place, and a huge crater in the  
  
wall, where something had apparently been smashed into it.  
  
The girls continued to stare. They Didn't even bother to blink.  
  
"Ayeka! Ryoko!" Yelled Tenchi. "What the hell just happened here!?"  
  
Suddenly, something occurred to Tenchi. He looked down at himself, with  
  
a look of dread. He was completely naked. With a loud yell, he  
  
covered himself the best he could with his right hand as his other hand  
  
reached outside the shower for a towel. Finally grabbing Ahold of one,  
  
after losing his grip on it several times, he wrapped it around himself  
  
hastily. Then , he glared at Ayeka and Ryoko.  
  
"What the hell is going on! I thought I told you two not to fight in  
  
the house?"  
  
There was silence for about fifteen seconds.  
  
"Tenchisama." Ayeka said, finally. "Ryoko was trying to get into the  
  
shower with you. I was only trying to stop her."  
  
"Yeah?" Spat Ryoko. Bitterly. "Well I told you to stay the hell out  
  
of my way."  
  
"Well, what did you expect me to do?" Yelled Ayeka. "Tenchisama needs  
  
his privacy, and you were trying to deny him of it. You just Don't get  
  
it, do you. He *HATES* you. Can't you see?"  
  
"Hey, what is going on up here?" Said Noboyuki, his figure emerging  
  
from around the corner. Then, he noticed the hole in the Bathroom wall  
  
and Tenchi, with a towel wrapped around his body. He eyed Ayeka and  
  
Ryoko, who just glared at him.  
  
"Who made this big hole in the wall." Said Noboyuki, with a a noticable  
  
look of suprise on his face.  
  
The two girls pointed to each other. When they realized that the other  
  
was pointing at them, they growled at each other.  
  
Noboyuki started to sweat. He nervously backed away.  
  
The two girls contined to glare at each other. Sparks literally flew  
  
between their gazes as their anger reached new heights.  
  
Suddenly, there was a yell from Tenchi. The two girls momentarily  
  
broke their glares and glanced over at Tenchi.  
  
"Hey you two...eh,,,cut it out already!" Said Tenchi, his voice almost  
  
failing him. "What if someone gets hurt! Don't have any regard for  
  
anyone?"  
  
Both of the girls shouted a unanimous "NO!" Ayeka shot a glance over  
  
at Ryoko and added. "At least not to *her*."  
  
"I'm warning you princess" growled Ryoko, glaring back at Ayeka. "Pain  
  
Is a two way street. Especially when dealing with *me*!" A small ball  
  
of plasma was forming in her hand as she spoke.  
  
"Say cheese!" Came a voice out of the shadows. Both of the girls froze  
  
and looked in the direction the voice had come from.  
  
The brilliant light of a flashbulb came out of nowhere, and temporarily  
  
blinded the three occupants of the hall. When their vision returned,  
  
they face faulted almost all at the same time.  
  
"Man, that was a good picture that I got of you guys." Said Noboyuki,  
  
coming out of the shadows with a laugh. In his hands was a camera, the  
  
source of the flash. Tenchi could hear the motor inside the camera  
  
develop the Polariod. It was that quiet. With a smile, Noboyuki  
  
retrieved the film from the camera. He held it in his hand and laughed  
  
again, turning it around so the three of them could see.  
  
At first, it was just plain white. But as the picture came out, Tenchi  
  
could plainly see Ryoko and Ayeka in the foreground with himself, still  
  
wet from the shower, and half naked with a towel wrapped around his  
  
waist, in the background.  
  
Tenchi gulped, realizing that his father thought this obviously  
  
embarassing position to be extremely funny. Noboyuki laughed again  
  
and spoke:  
  
"Heh, heh, this will be an excellent addition to your scrapbook, Tenchi.  
  
You may not realize it now, but when you are older like me, you will  
  
look back on times like this..."  
  
"DAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!!!" Yelled Tenchi. Noboyuki gave him a look of  
  
suprise.  
  
"What? I still have pictures of your mother and I when we were still  
  
going out. And I still have that 8mm film of your mother that you  
  
almost *destroyed* when you dropped it." Added Noboyuki, his eyes  
  
narrowing at the mention of the later.  
  
"Excuse me, but I happened to have been only a few seconds from  
  
*vanishing* into thin air when I dropped it. What did you *expect*  
  
me to do when I saw my own body disintegrate before my eyes?" Yelled  
  
Tenchi, slightly annoyed. "And besides, this Isn't a memory that I  
  
would particularly *enjoy* remembering!"  
  
Noboyuki shook his head.  
  
"You have always been difficult like that Tenchi. Why you have been  
  
is beyond me."  
  
Suddenly, something snapped...  
  
...And a few seconds later, there was a small hole in a nearby wall,  
  
Tenchi's hand stuck though it. Quivering, he slowly withdrew his  
  
now bleeding hand, and glanced over at his father, to Ryoko, to Ayeka,  
  
then to his bleeding hand. There was a seething pain coming from his  
  
fist, but at this point, Tenchi Didn't care.  
  
The three other occupants Didn't move a muscle. All there had their  
  
eyes wide open in shock.  
  
They have *never* seen Tenchi get this angry.  
  
Tenchi shot another glance at the three, still shaking and breathing  
  
heavily, although he Didn't make a sound while breathing.  
  
"That's it." Tenchi said, in an angry, but quiet voice. "I've had  
  
about enough of this for one night."  
  
Without another word, he marched straight for his room, and slid open  
  
the door with his uninjured hand.  
  
"Wait, Tenchisama." Said Ayeka. "What about dinner?"  
  
Tenchi Didn't even bother to look over his shoulder.  
  
"Tell Sasamichan to save it for me. I Don't think that this has left  
  
me with much of an appetite." Tenchi said, bitterly. And with that  
  
parting shot, he slammed his door closed.  
  
No one said anything. There Wasn't anything to be said. Ryoko, Ayeka  
  
and Noboyuki were all thinking the same thing, and felt that it went  
  
without saying.  
  
*What's up with Tenchi?*  
  
"Oneesama! Ryoko! Noboyuki! Tenchi!" Came a voice from downstairs.  
  
"Dinner is ready!"  
  
"Sasamichan, Tenchi is not feeling very well. Would you be so kind as  
  
to save his plate for him until tomorrow?" Said Ayeka, calling down the  
  
stairs.  
  
"What's wrong with Tenchi?" Said Sasami? "Is he sick?"  
  
Ayeka paused, trying to think of something to say.  
  
"Not really." Yelled Ryoko. "He is just worn out. Don't worry, He'll  
  
be fine.  
  
"OK." Said Sasami. "By the way, what was going on up there? Did  
  
Something happen?"  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko exchanged glances.  
  
"No, nothing is wrong." Said Ayeka.  
  
"Nah, everything's OK." Ryoko chimed in.  
  
And both of them started down the stairs, followed by Noboyuki.  
  
"You know." Said Ayeka, as they were walking down. "None of this  
  
would have happened if you had not tried to invade Tenchisama's  
  
privacy."  
  
Ryoko shot an angry glance at Ayeka.  
  
"Oh for pete's sake..." She complained.  
  
And with that, they disappeared into the next room at the bottom  
  
of the stairs.  
  
- = = = = -  
  
Tenchi awake in a total darkness. Not the kind of darkness like in  
  
a dark closet, or at night, but a really pitch black, as if there was  
  
no substance to the area around him. Frightened, Tenchi groped around,  
  
but to his dismay, he did not find anything to grab on to.  
  
All of the sudden, a he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
Tenchi turned around, slowly.  
  
A woman was standing there, looking back at him.  
  
"Tenchi..." She repeated, a smile forming on her pale face. Her blue  
  
hair flowed, as if blown by a strong gale.  
  
"What the...it Can't be..." Said Tenchi, slowly walking toward the  
  
woman. But then, when he was almost there, he froze in terror.  
  
The woman all of the sudden had a strange expression on her face. A  
  
Perverted leer, almost. It reminded Tenchi of...  
  
And with that, she faded out into Nothingness. But before Tenchi  
  
could react, his father just as suddenly appeared in her place. What  
  
Was more, to Tenchi's astonishment, was the fact that he had that same,  
  
perverted leer.  
  
His instincts were screaming at him to act fast. Tenchi, still in  
  
shock and unsure of what to do, slowly started backing away.  
  
"Hey there, son." Said Noboyuki, still with that perverted leer.  
  
"Where are you going? The fun has just started."  
  
Suddenly, Tenchi's father grew to gargantuian proportions at an almost  
  
sickening rate. Tenchi yelled and started to run, but his father bent  
  
over, as if he was picking up a speck of rice that had been dropped on  
  
the floor and picked him up between his thumb and forefinger. Tenchi  
  
Struggled noticably, but his attempts to escape were futile.  
  
"Son." Said Noboyuki, his voice echoing omnipotently. "You are way too  
  
shy around the girls. Let me help you out."  
  
And with that, he let go of Tenchi. With a loud yell, Tenchi fell away  
  
from his father, the only visible thing in sight.  
  
Tenchi fell through Nothingness for what seemed like ages. At first,  
  
he could see nothing else. But then, he saw a little blue speck. It  
  
Was racing toward him at a frightening rate, but before he could even  
  
yell, he had landed, face down, and with quite some force, on the blue  
  
object.  
  
Tenchi cowered in pain, but then to his surprise, he found that he was  
  
not in any pain whatsoever. Slowly, he started to get to his feet. He  
  
Then glanced around at his surroundings. There were blue walls, all  
  
around him, as well as a blue floor. He saw multiple passageways  
  
leading in different directions away from him. It almost felt like  
  
being in a bad three-dimensional maze. But then something hit him. It  
  
*was* a three-dimensional maze. And he was the mouse. And he Didn't  
  
even know what he was looking for.  
  
"Tenchiiii...." Came a voice, again from behind him.  
  
*Oh great, what now...* thought Tenchi to himself.  
  
This time, when he turned around, he found Ryoko, standing less than a  
  
foot away from him, eyeing him Hungerly, her amber eyes glowing softly.  
  
Tenchi froze and started to sweat.  
  
"There you are Tenchi." Said Ryoko, with an evil grin. "I was looking  
  
for you. You had me *so* worried." She added, nudging closer to  
  
Tenchi. Tenchi himself, who was still recovering from the shock of  
  
someone sneaking up behind him, started to tremble violently. Ryoko  
  
Inched closer to Tenchi, licking her lips seductively.  
  
"That will be quite close enough, space pirate." Came a voice from the  
  
opposite direction. Tenchi Didn't need to turn his head to know that  
  
it was Ayeka, but he did it anyway, to try and take his mind off of the  
  
woman who was no less than six centimeters away from him.  
  
She was standing here, eyeing Ryoko dangerously. There seemed to be an  
  
aura of seriousness and distaste in her expression, making it painfully  
  
clear what she thought of what she was looking at.  
  
"You will release Tenchisama this instant, you wicked creature." Spat  
  
Ayeka, marching toward the two at a frightening rate.  
  
"Hah!" Smirked Ryoko, cocking her eyebrow defiantly and grabbing a hold  
  
of one of Tenchi's wrists. "Never! Tenchi is mine!"  
  
"No!" Yelled Ayeka, grabbing Tenchi's other wrist. "He is mine!"  
  
"Hands off, Ayeka, He's mine!"  
  
"He is MINE! He dispises you, and you know it!"  
  
Meanwhile Tenchi was in the middle of the two, being torn back and  
  
forth as if he was a plaything that two sisters were arguing over.  
  
*What the hell did I do to deserve this?* Tenchi thought in misery *Did  
  
I kill someone in a pervious life?*  
  
In desperation, he yelled, suddenly.  
  
"DAAAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!! What do you think you are doing?"  
  
Both of the girls let go of Tenchi's wrists temporarily and glanced  
  
around the room, looking for any sign of Noboyuki, a video camera, a  
  
still camera, anything that might be even remotely associated with him  
  
that they could tear to smithereens.  
  
"That's weird." Said Ryoko, confused.  
  
"I Don't see your father anywhere, Tenchis...." Said Ayeka, glancing  
  
back at Tenchi.  
  
But to both of their astonishment, Tenchi was no longer there. He had  
  
ran down a corridoer as fast as his feet could carry him. Enraged, the  
  
girls split up and started searching the maze for their beloved.  
  
Tenchi, meanwhile, was dodging his way throughout the maze, picking  
  
directions at random, hoping that he Wouldn't come face to face with  
  
one of the girls. He kept hearing the girls calling his name, "Tenchi!  
  
Tenchi!" But he kept running, hoping that he could get out of this maze  
  
in time before he got caught.  
  
He turned another corner. And suddenly, Ryoko appeared in front of him  
  
out of thin air. She grined maniacly. Frantically, Tenchi dodged back  
  
around the corner, only to find Ayeka, with the same evil grin on her  
  
face.  
  
He was trapped.  
  
He backed himself into the corner and sat down, covering his head with  
  
his arms. He slowly heard them approach, and when he dared to look up  
  
again, he found both girls, staring directly at him. But something was  
  
scaring him even more that usual. They both had an evil, twisted  
  
expression on their face that Didn't quite look like either of them.  
  
Tenchi shook in fear, thinking of all the possibilities of what could  
  
happen next. He dreaded every single one of them.  
  
But what happened next truly scared the hell out of him.  
  
Almost instantaniously, both girls grabbed for him, gripped his arms,  
  
and tore him into two bloody pieces. Tenchi screamed in agony...  
  
- = = = = -  
  
All of the sudden, Tenchi woke with a noticable start. His eyes were  
  
wide with fear, but as he realized that he had only been dreaming, and  
  
that he was still in his own room, and nothing had happened, he calmed  
  
down a bit. He glancedat his watch, pressing a button on it with his  
  
other hand. As his tired eyes began to focus on the watch, the time  
  
10:00 pm clearly made themselves visible on the digital indeglo  
  
display.  
  
Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up and glanced out the window. The  
  
Moon was shining bright outside. Other than that, it was hard to see.  
  
The night cast a dark blue light over Tenchi's room, except for the  
  
places where the moon reflected its rays.  
  
It was at this point that his slowly awakening mind send him impulses  
  
of dull pain, still coming from his fist. Tenchi glanced down at it.  
  
It had stopped bleeding, but he knew he would be sore for days. He  
  
Wondered what his grandfather would say about such a thing.  
  
Gradually, Tenchi lay his head back down on the pillow. He tried to  
  
get back to sleep. But for some odd reason, he Couldn't. He hated  
  
when this happened. He would wake up from a dream, and then he would  
  
be unable to get back to sleep. This would only make him more tired  
  
the next day. With a sigh, Tenchi though back to his dream...  
  
His dad, who took him and thrust him into the two girls hands...  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka, chasing him throughout the maze until they found him  
  
and tore him in two...  
  
That woman, calling out to him...  
  
That woman...  
  
Tenchi slowly sat up in his bed and carefully took something off his  
  
nightstand which he kept by his bed. He then held the object up to  
  
the moonlight.  
  
It was a photograph in a picture frame. Tenchi tilted the frame until  
  
he could clearly see the photograph itself. Squinting his eyes, Tenchi  
  
finally was able to see clearly the contents of the photograph, a young  
  
woman. Although the colors had faded noticably, and it was hard to  
  
tell colors apart in the dark, Tenchi was able to see the flowing blue  
  
hair, the pale complexion, the garmet that she was wearing...  
  
Tenchi shifted the frame once more until the moon reflected off of the  
  
copper plate that was below the photograph, embeded in the picture  
  
frame itself. With some effort, Tenchi could make the words  
  
"Achika Masaki" embeded into the shiny metal.  
  
Usually when he saw this picture it gave Tenchi warm feelings. But  
  
Now, a bittersweet feeling was associated with the photograph.  
  
Tenchi blinked several times and a single tear rolled down his cheek,  
  
leaving a warm trail of wetness in its path.  
  
"Mother..." He moaned quietly to himself.  
  
Tenchi leaned his back up against the head of the bed with a sigh.  
  
suddenly realizing that his dream was only an exaggeration of things  
  
that were troubling him in real life. To think that he had been so  
  
content on the way home...  
  
With a sigh, he slowly stood up. He had to get some fresh air. Maybe  
  
A walk would take his mind off of these troubles. It probably  
  
Wouldn't, but it might make him feel better. He silently walked over  
  
to his closet and found and put on a fresh kimono. He took a pair of  
  
sandles, and walked over to his door. He pressed his ear up against  
  
the door.  
  
Sileence. Good.  
  
With that, quietly opened his door.  
  
The hallway was completely dark. Evidently, everyone had long gone to  
  
bed. So far so good, all he had to do was sneak out of the house  
  
without waking anyone up. Quietly, he tiptoed down the hall, down the  
  
stairs, and out the side door, pressing his body up against the door so  
  
it Wouldn't make a sound as he opened and closed it.  
  
But he Wasn't quiet enough.  
  
Sleeping in the rafters, Ryoko shifted slightly and slowly opened her  
  
eyes. At first, she could see nothing. But slowly, ever so slowly,  
  
her eyes adjusted to the dark night.  
  
All of the sudden, she heard a door shut. It was quiet, almost too  
  
quiet for Ryoko to hear it. But she did, and almost on instinct she,  
  
teleported down from the rafters into one of the shadows below.  
  
Ryoko held her breath as her keen eyes disected the room for a quick  
  
second. Seeing nothing, she sighed heavily.  
  
Then, all of the sudden, she saw something move, out of the corner of  
  
her eye.  
  
But it Wasn't coming from inside. Ryoko glanced out the window and  
  
squinted her eyes. The movement.... It was coming from across the  
  
yard outside the house. It was...walking...yes this definitely a  
  
human...walking toward...Ryoko glanced past the figure to focus on  
  
where the figure was apparently headed...the Masaki shrine.  
  
Still, it was hard to tell *who* it was, even though it was a moonlit  
  
night. Ryoko silently teleported outside, into a shadow made by the  
  
house. Being such a bright night, she Didn't want to be seen,  
  
especially if it was an intruder. Not that one could have *harmed* her  
  
in any way, but Ryoko's curiosity was piqued by the fact that this  
  
person was headed for...  
  
Suddenly, she recognized the figure. Ryoko gasped in recognition and  
  
almost out of instinct, she teleported in front of him.  
  
"Tenchi!"  
  
- = = = = -  
  
The rest of the Masaki house was quiet. Noboyuki had collapsed on his  
  
bed, exhausted by a hard days work. Washu was sleeping peacefully in  
  
her lab, which was kind of odd, since sleeping was something Washu  
  
rarely did. But she had nothing pressing at the moment, so she decided  
  
to get a few hours of shuteye. Mihoshi happened to be awake, but she  
  
was on patrol at the moment, something she really Didn't like, since it  
  
meant that she had to be away from the Masaki household, but it was  
  
required if she was to keep her job.  
  
But something was happening in the house. Mainly in the room where  
  
Ayeka and Sasami slept. The room was dark. But little Sasami was  
  
tossing and turning in her sleep. She was having another nightmare,  
  
one much like the ones she had every night.  
  
In these nightmares she had been having recently, he had been laying  
  
wounded, and Tenchi had been there to help her up. But before he could  
  
reach out to her, he would be consumed and taken by a large hand, and  
  
Sasami could only watch helplessly as a...person?...Whom she did not  
  
recognize would take Tenchi, and as a result, cause massive widespread  
  
destruction. But Sasami never figured out what they could mean. She  
  
Softly cried out in her sleep.  
  
Ayeka woke with a start. She glanced around the room in fright, her  
  
eyes scanning the room for an intruder. Seeing none, she laid her head  
  
back down on her pillow, and tried to go back to sleep.  
  
*Must have been Sasami again.* Ayeka thought to herself. *My poor  
  
sister...she has nightmares almost every night...*  
  
Suddenly, she heard another noise. A voice, rather.  
  
Coming from outside...  
  
Sleepily, Ayeka slowly got up and tip toed over to the window in her  
  
room and glanced at where the voices were coming from.  
  
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she at first could not see  
  
anything, save for the dim light coming from the full moon. But now  
  
she was certain that she heard the two voices, as her senses were  
  
slowly awakening. She looked in the general direction of the noise.  
  
Still nothing. Then she saw it. Or more specificly, them. The  
  
Moonlight clearly highlighted the two figures, and Ayeka squinted  
  
her eyes for a better look.  
  
Suddenly, she gasped in recognition.  
  
*It's Lord Tenchi! What in the world is he doing outside at this time  
  
of night?*  
  
And the other...  
  
*Oh my...it's that....devil woman...*  
  
Suddenly, Ayeka froze. But before Ayeka could act on her instinct to  
  
run out of the room, out of the house, and beat the living crap out of  
  
her advasery, she heard them talking. Curious, Ayeka listened to what  
  
they were saying.  
  
"...And I Don't *CARE* about how scared you were. You have got to stop  
  
appearing out of nowhere and scaring the *hell* out of me!"  
  
"But Tenchi..." Responded Ryoko.  
  
"I came out here to get some uninterrupted peace and quiet, and here  
  
you are, just appearing out of thin air, trying to find out why I'm so  
  
mad."  
  
Ryoko opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but before she  
  
could, Tenchi cut her off and continued to lecture, this time a lot  
  
louder.  
  
"I'll tell you what's wrong! You and Ayeka constantly bickering and  
  
fighting over me! Do you know how close you two might have come to  
  
*killing me? Did that *ever* occur to you that I might have been  
  
crushed by a piece of debris, or a carelessly thrown fireball, or any  
  
number of things? Not to mention the other people in the house! Did  
  
It ever occur to you? Did it?"  
  
Ryoko was speechless.  
  
"This is worse than when Sasami came into my room, crying, because she  
  
was having a bad dream and she Couldn't go to either of you for comfort  
  
because you two were duking it out! You two haven't changed a bit! So  
  
Just go away!"  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
"I SAID..." Yelled Tenchi, but then stopped when he noticed the  
  
expression on Ryoko's face.  
  
Ryoko face was not even Ryoko's anymore, but instead that of a  
  
hollow emptyness, that Didn't look like her at all. A reflection  
  
of the moonlight caught a tear that was slowly trickeling down her  
  
face, and another followed it, and another...  
  
*Tears?*  
  
Tenchi's mind suddenly went over what he had just said. And the  
  
force of his own words sent shivers through his spine, crushing him  
  
like a human in the middle of a collapsing building.  
  
Tenchi's heart sank to his stomach. He Couldn't put his finger on what  
  
he had said, but he knew he had done Ryoko a great wrong. No one  
  
deserved to be screamed at like that. His mind raced at a million  
  
miles an hour, trying to find the right words to remedy what he had  
  
done. But his mind drew a blank.  
  
He was now so ashamed of himself that he couldn't bring himself to look  
  
Ryoko in the face any longer. In shame, he hung his head, and slowly  
  
walked past her, toward the forest leading to the Masaki Shrine.  
  
Suddenly, something came to him. Turning his head over his shoulder  
  
he spoke to Ryoko.  
  
"Ryoko...I...."  
  
But Ryoko Wasn't there anymore.  
  
With guilt painfully tugging at his heart, he slowly turned around  
  
and disappeared into the forst.  
  
All while this was going on, Ayeka had been watching the whole scene  
  
with a look of fright. Not even stopping to think about the possible  
  
consequences of what might happen if she was found, she tied her obi  
  
around the kimono she was wearing and tip toed to the door of the room  
  
with a resolve firmly set in her mind.  
  
*Something is not right. I must follow him and figure out what is  
  
wrong.*  
  
She quietly took a pair of slippers in her hand, and slowly slid  
  
open the door. She shut it behind her, and paused, to make sure that  
  
Sasami was still asleep. Confidant that she had not woken anyone up,  
  
she tiptoed down the stairs, and across the living room to the door,  
  
trying her best not so make a sound.  
  
In her panic, she was unsuccessful, but no one heard her.  
  
Quietly, she stepped outside, closing the door silently behind her.  
  
She then put on her sandles and crept, although at a good pace, toward  
  
the edge of the forest. Looking around to make sure that everything  
  
was still sound, she ran into the forest. It was dark, but she knew  
  
the path reasonably well, and thus emerged from the other side, at the  
  
foot of the long stairway to the Masaki shrine.  
  
It was at this point when she stopped, and contemplated venturing  
  
further.  
  
Should she risk being seen by Tenchi? Especially after the way he  
  
had yelled at Ryoko?  
  
Now that she was fully awake and aware, she started second-guessing  
  
herself. Her quiet and demere side was yelling at her to run away back  
  
to the house and get back under her futon and get some sleep. But from  
  
within her, an even louder voice was disturbing her.  
  
*Something is difinitely not right. Tenchisama is *never* up at this  
  
hour. And he was yelling at Ryoko, as well.*  
  
For a moment, a brief smile of satisfaction crossed Ayeka's lips. But  
  
Just as suddenly, it was banished.  
  
*Don't be silly. You know very well that Tenchi would never yell at  
  
anyone.*  
  
*Well, you said so yourself that Tenchi dispised Ryoko.* said a voice  
  
of reason inside Ayeka.  
  
*I really Didn't mean it that way. I was just trying to drive home a  
  
point. Ryoko should not be invading Tenchi-sama's privacy, especially  
  
in that vile manner.*  
  
*So you are saying that Tenchi likes Ryoko?*  
  
For a moment, Ayeka considered following that scary train of thought.  
  
But she came to her senses. Tenchi was growing more distant by the  
  
second, and if Ayeka had any hope of finding out what was wrong, if  
  
indeed anything was wrong, she would have to make a decision quickly.  
  
The two voices in her continued, each desperately trying to win favor..  
  
Meanwhile, Tenchi was a good ways ahead of Ayeka, deep in thought,  
  
walking slowly up the steps to the Masaki Shrine. He took his time,  
  
slowly going up one step at a time, gazing down at the steps which  
  
glowed softly illuminated by the moon, lost in thought. He had no clue  
  
why he chose to go this way, except possibly the silhouetted scenery on  
  
the way. He had no need to visit his grandfather right now. But those  
  
thoughts were driven out by his mind returning to the events that  
  
evening.  
  
His mind was on what had just happened, just a few minutes ago. He  
  
Sighed in disappointment. He wished that he Hadn't yelled at Ryoko.  
  
But still, why did she and Ayeka always have to be arguing over one  
  
thing or another? This little skirmish of theirs was getting worse  
  
every time they fought. Tonight, Tenchi could have easily been killed,  
  
and yet Ryoko just nonchalantly floated up to him acting like...  
  
Like...  
  
Tenchi paused, but continued his pace up the steps to the shrine.  
  
He Couldn't quite put his finger on what disturbed him about Ryoko.  
  
Perhaps it was how she treated everything as a game...  
  
Everything? Well, from what he had heard afterwords, she had been  
  
hellbent on killing Kagato after he had been presumed dead at Kagato's  
  
hand.  
  
Maybe it was how she lusted for him, chasing him down, putting him in  
  
awkward positions...  
  
Lusted? After what he had heard Zero's words, which were just a  
  
reflection of Ryoko's true feelings? Those were true feelings, not  
  
just an infatuation.  
  
Tenchi shook his head. He wished that he would stop trying to find  
  
fault with Ryoko. Ryoko, in spite of being made of that...stuff...  
  
That Washu had created Ryoko out of, was still very much human. She  
  
Had her faults, but so does everyone else. And she still had feelings  
  
too.  
  
Tenchi sighed. He wished he Hadn't yelled at her like that. Maybe if  
  
she and Ayeka Hadn't almost destroyed the house earlier that day, he  
  
would have reacted differently. But as things stood, he would have to  
  
apologize to her in the morning. There Wasn't any other way that he  
  
could do with a good mind. But she would have to apologize for the  
  
damage she and Ayeka did...  
  
Tenchi's mind drifted onto another train of thought in stride.  
  
...Of course Ayeka would have to apologize for her part as well. She  
  
Shouldn't have been fighting either  
  
Tenchi reflected on that for a moment. It seemed so...*Odd* that such  
  
a seemingly sweet person could get so angry. But looking back on the  
  
times she was angry, none could come to mind without the cause of her  
  
anger being Ryoko antagonizing her. Except for possibly the time  
  
aboard Dr. Clay's ship, where Ayeka lashed out at Mihoshi, but honestly  
  
Tenchi Couldn't blame her, or *anyone* for that matter, for doing that.  
  
And to think that he, Tenchi Masaki, a normal earthling living an  
  
ordinary life, could be a blood relative of Ayeka. But after a moment  
  
of reflection, he could see where something like that might have come  
  
from. After all, he *did* look a little like Ayeka, without too much  
  
of a stretch of the imagination. And Ayeka *did* have a resemblance to  
  
his mother, at least from the photograph...  
  
Tenchi's train of thought was only broken by another tear, being jarred  
  
down his face by his movement up the shrine steps.  
  
His mother... She had just passed away when he was only a small child,  
  
an infant. Just when he needed a mother most. And now, almost  
  
thirteen years later, all he had left of her was that picture.  
  
Tenchi sighed. No child should have to undergo such trauma.   
  
He then tried to think back to when his mother was alive, but the  
  
further back his memories took him, the blurrier they got until Tenchi  
  
Couldn't remember hardly anything, around six years old. He sighed in  
  
frustration. He Didn't even have a fond memory, heck, even a memory  
  
*period*, of his mother. What was she like? Would she know what to  
  
tell him about what to do about Ayeka and Ryoko if she had lived until  
  
now? Was she the same as dad? Would dad have turned out the way he  
  
did if his mother had stayed alive?  
  
Tenchi groaned. It was so, *juvenile* what his father did, and what's  
  
worse, he Didn't find anything wrong with it.  
  
It was so embarrassing, having to live with a father like that, his  
  
*father* no less. And that Wasn't the whole of it either. His father  
  
was actually trying to influence him to do the same thing. It was a  
  
good thing that Tenchi had some common sense, and Selfcontrol, or he  
  
might have turned out to be a peeping-tom when he had gotten older.  
  
And then there were these constant references to his insecurity around  
  
women. Maybe he was, but was that any excuse to...  
  
He paused. And this time, he stopped in his tracks.  
  
Maybe he *was* insecure around women.  
  
Tenchi walked over to and put his back up against a tree and cast his  
  
head down.  
  
Maybe that was his problem. Perhaps he should be a little more open,  
  
a little more inviting. After all, there were plenty of women who had  
  
some intrest in him. Should he...  
  
Then, something stuck him.  
  
Wasn't it painfully obvious? Those women who had an interest in him,  
  
particularly two of them, would tear each other apart if he *did* show  
  
any interest in *anyone* of the opposite sex. What he might say to one  
  
girl might happen to be overheard by the other, and start a huge fight,  
  
or at the very least, hurt the other's feelings. When there was a huge  
  
fight, especially with Ayeka and Ryoko, there was much potential for  
  
pain and suffering to those who were caught in the middle. And he  
  
Couldn't stand to hurt any of their feelings, no matter *who* they  
  
were.  
  
No *wonder* he was afraid. He was walking a tightrope, trying to keep  
  
everyone happy. But sooner or later, he knew that something would have  
  
to give. And when it did, he knew he would be in a world of hurt that  
  
even he Wouldn't know how to mend. Tenchi hung his head in dispear.  
  
"Why the hell is my life so hectic.", he thought out loud. "My mom is  
  
dead, my dad is a hentai, and I am trying to balance two women who I  
  
Can't say anything to unless I want to risk starting a fight. I Don't  
  
know if I can go on like this." He sighed.  
  
"Tenchisama."  
  
Tenchi nearly jumped out of his skin. Scrambling to his feet, he turned  
  
and faced the direction from where the voice was coming from, poised in  
  
a fighting stance. He shook considerably, but after realizing who it  
  
might be, he prayed that it was who he thought it was.  
  
"Wh...who is there?" He stammered.  
  
A figure came out of the shadows. It Wasn't.  
  
"It's only me, Tenchisama."  
  
It took a moment to register who it was. When he did, he phacephaulted  
  
and collapsed backwards onto the tree, sliding down it until he was  
  
sitting down again. He let out his breath with a huge sigh.  
  
Ayeka stood there, not moving.  
  
"I'm sorry if I scared you." Said Ayeka, softly.  
  
Something about Ayeka's tone of voice struck Tenchi as being odd. He  
  
Slowly glanced up and saw Ayeka standing there. She was not in her  
  
usual good posture, but slumping, rather. She had a frown on her face,  
  
and her eyes drooped, although it was hard to tell if it was from sleep  
  
or from sadness.  
  
"Wh..what's wrong, Ayeka?" Asked Tenchi, finally able to get a grip on  
  
himself.  
  
"I thought I had heard an intruder in the house. I dismissed it at  
  
first, but then I heard you and Ryoko outside, and so I got up and  
  
looked out the window. I thought that something might not be right,  
  
with the way you yelled like that... And so I followed you."  
  
Tenchi's face almost lost color. To think that Ayeka, a person of such  
  
moral character and high standards that she had obviously thought him to  
  
be, could have seen him act in such a dispickable way. Even if it was  
  
toward her worst enemy.  
  
She hung her head in sadness. "I followed you all the way up here, and  
  
saw you sit down by this tree. I Couldn't in good conscience leave you  
  
here to suffer so much." She paused momentarily. "...And I think I see  
  
now what is troubling you."  
  
"How do you know..." He started to say, but all of the sudden,  
  
something occurred to him. He gasped when he realized what he had done.  
  
"Oh my god, did I yell *that* loud?"  
  
"You did, Tenchisama." Said Ayeka. "I also heard you talking to  
  
yourself just moments ago. And I now finally see what is troubling you  
  
so much."  
  
Tenchi's mind was a blur, trying to think of the implications of what  
  
he said might be. But then, two more things dawned on him. First of  
  
all, Ayeka had been following him all this time. Tenchi Wasn't sure  
  
why, but this disturbed him somewhat. He usually expected that sort  
  
of behavior out of Ryoko, or perhaps his father.  
  
And then, Ayeka had just called him "Tenchisama", instead of a  
  
respectful "Lord Tenchi" or a friendly "Tenchi". Not that he wanted  
  
respect, but something about the way she said it...  
  
Neather of them spoke for a moment. Tenchi sighed, letting the  
  
atmosphere of the night calm his senses. Ayeka herself sighed and  
  
spoke again.  
  
"Your father is an embarrassment to you, and you wish Lady Achika was  
  
alive. And as for us..."  
  
She let that trail off for a minute as she collected her thoughts.  
  
Tenchi couldn't help but smile faintly at the name of his mother,  
  
especially when it was used in such an respectful way...  
  
"You are trying to keep things civil by not saying anything to either  
  
of us. You Don't think you can talk to one of us without the other  
  
getting angry. So you shut both of us off. Is that it?"  
  
Tenchi slowly nodded his head in the affirmative. He Wasn't a fool,  
  
he knew what she meant by 'us'. Then, he spoke.  
  
"Yes, sort of. But what I Don't understand is how you two can be so...  
  
Violent." He paused. "Especially over me."  
  
Ayeka slowly sat down next to Tenchi, with her back to the tree. She  
  
Sighed.  
  
"I Don't know... Tenchisama, It's just that..."  
  
She paused. Silence filled the air, as Ayeka debated whether to  
  
continue. She was afraid that if Tenchi knew...  
  
Tenchi was looking at her expectantly.  
  
*Go ahead. You know what he was thinking all along. Now, it is only  
  
fair that you tell him your thoughts.* she reassured herself.  
  
"It's just that I tried to think of Ryoko as demon." Ayeka continued.  
  
"She came to my planet, and even though I know now that my Yosho left  
  
of his own will and that Ryoko was under the influence of Kagato, I  
  
thought that Ryoko had deliberately taken him. I am just scared that  
  
that she will do the same thing...with you, too." She added, her eyes  
  
starting to well up with tears.  
  
Tenchi did not say anything for a moment. He Hadn't seen Ayeka this  
  
depressed and morbid since the events following Ayeka's crash landing  
  
on Earth. Tenchi thought about this for a moment, when all of the  
  
sudden, something struck him.  
  
The image of Ryoko's face after Tenchi had just yelled at her, with  
  
tearsstarting to form in her eyes...  
  
He slowly faded back to reality and found himself looking into the face  
  
of Ayeka, tears slowly begining to move down her cheeks...  
  
The image of Ryoko flashed before him again. And all of the sudden,  
  
every shadow of a doubt that had said that Ryoko or Ayeka Didn't have  
  
true feelings for him disappeared.  
  
"I..I never knew you thought that way about me." Said Tenchi, finally.  
  
"I always thought you just had an infatuation with me, or something  
  
like that. Well, maybe not quite that way, but I never knew you cared  
  
for me like that."  
  
For a split second, Tenchi wondered if he had phrased that correctly,  
  
to make sure that he had not hurt Ayeka's feelings. At this point,  
  
Tenchi Couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone.  
  
*Really?* a voice inside him rebutled. *What about what happened just  
  
a few minutes ago?*  
  
But before he could answer his own question, Ayeka spoke again.  
  
"I did, Tenchisama. And after you almost got killed by that wicked  
  
creature Kagato" said Ayeka, starting to sniffle. "...I was in  
  
dispear, afraid that I might never see you again. But the thing that  
  
scared me the most was...was..."  
  
She was now in tears, although she was trying to hold them back.  
  
Tenchi was staring at her, in anticipation. She finally got the  
  
courage to continue.  
  
"...When Ryoko was bent on killing Kagato over you. That is when I  
  
realized that her apparent concern for you was more than an infatuation  
  
or another trick to take yet another thing of mine. She really loved  
  
you."  
  
Tenchi arched his eyebrows in suprise. He had just realized that Ryoko  
  
loved him, but Ayeka had just dropped another bombshell. She had known  
  
that Ryoko had loved him all along. A million questions buzzed in his  
  
mind, but they all came back to one fundamental question, which Tenchi  
  
then asked.  
  
"Then why..." Started Tenchi. But Ayeka answered his question before  
  
he got all of it out.  
  
"Because I was scared of losing you to her." Replied Ayeka.  
  
"So all of those times..."  
  
"I Didn't really mean them, Tenchisama."  
  
Tenchi did not respond.  
  
"And it scared me, Tenchisama, when I realized that looking back on  
  
all of those times while you were trying to be seduced by Ryoko...she  
  
Wasn't just trying to take you from me just to aggravate me. The only  
  
reason I keep saying things like I said tonight was because...I was  
  
scared..that she, somehow, might win your heart. And then you would  
  
simply forget about me. I Wouldn't be able to live with myself it that  
  
happened. I'm sorry, Tenchisama. I should not have mixed myself up  
  
in your life."  
  
And with that, she trust her head onto his shoulder and she held back  
  
the tears no longer.  
  
Tenchi, for a split second, thought about acting on his usual reaction,  
  
which would be pulling his arm away from Ayeka in fright. After all,  
  
he had never seen Ayeka like this, and Wasn't sure how to react. But  
  
Instead, he thought about what Ayeka had said. Feelings and emotions  
  
tore him apart as his conscience tried to piece this mess together  
  
Gradually, Tenchi put a hand on Ayeka's shoulder. She suddenly stopped  
  
crying and looked up at him. He was smiling softly.  
  
"Don't be sorry, Ayeka. No one could ever predict that this would  
  
happen. I'm sorry for not realizing how much you cared for me. Or  
  
Ryoko, for that matter. It's just so hard for me, because I like both  
  
of you, but it is just so hard to act like it. But things will work  
  
themselves out, sooner or later. I know that I Couldn't stand to be  
  
without either of you."  
  
Tenchi held his breath, not knowing what the response would be...  
  
A smile crossed Ayeka's face. Then she sighed.  
  
"Thank you, Tenchisama."  
  
*Whew* thought Tenchi to himself. He had finally been able to pull off  
  
the impossible, explain his true feelings without managing to hurt  
  
anyone feelings.  
  
Breifly, the dark shadow of doubt crept over him.  
  
*What about Ryoko? How will you explain these emotions to Ryoko? She  
  
Might not ever look at you again after the way you treated her  
  
tonight.*  
  
*Don't worry.* he reassured himself. *I have said it to Ayeka, and  
  
now there is no one's feelings to hurt. And I'm sure she would be  
  
greatful for anything I say to reassure her that I still like her.*  
  
*What if she finds out that she is not the only one?*  
  
*Well, sadly, she will have to realize that. Ayeka did.*  
  
Ayeka softly closed her eyes, still in Tenchi's arms. Tenchi just held  
  
her there, Contently, as if holding a sleeping child. He looked up at  
  
the moon, broken only by the leaves of the trees. He had looked up at  
  
the moon, once before while he was in his room, but he had taken no  
  
special notice at it.  
  
Now, it seemed to smile back at him, seeming to have an inner peace  
  
that very few monks would ever have in their lifetimes.  
  
Tenchi looked back down at Ayeka, who was still in his arms. She was  
  
asleep, but if you looked closely, you might have seen the moon in her  
  
face, for she was smiling as Contently as that bright object in  
  
question.  
  
He wanted to bathe in that moment for eternity. Everything seemed so  
  
calm, as opposed to his hectic-as-hell life that he normally lived.  
  
But gradually, the need for rest planted itself in his mind. With a  
  
sigh, he gently started to joggle Ayeka gently, as to wake her up.  
  
"Come on, Ayeka, It's time to get back to the house." Said Tenchi,  
  
softly.  
  
There was no response.  
  
"Ayeka?"   
  
Tenchi could see Ayeka's eyelid twitch ever so slightly.  
  
"Hmmmm...?" Said Ayeka, dreamily opening her eyes, just enough to  
  
see the smiling face of Tenchi, gently illuminated by the cool light of  
  
the moon, looking down on her.  
  
"Come on Ayeka, It's time to go back to the house." Said Tenchi,  
  
shifting his body position slightly so Ayeka could right herself off  
  
of him.  
  
"OK, Tenchisama." Ayeka said, slowly staggering up from the ground.  
  
Propping himself up against the tree, Tenchi righted himself. Ayeka  
  
Took a step or two, but it was quickly apparent that she was too  
  
drowsy to walk on her own.  
  
"Here, let me help you." Said Tenchi, walking up beside Ayeka and  
  
letting her prop her arm around him for support.  
  
"Thank you, Tenchisama." Added Ayeka.  
  
- = = = = -  
  
After Tenchi had yelled at her, Ryoko had just stood there. She had  
  
never seen Tenchi act this way toward her, hell toward *anyone*. But  
  
Seeing as her presence was not wanted by Tenchi, she had left him  
  
there. Indeed, if she had stayed there, she would have doubtless felt  
  
better once Tenchi apologized to her. But alas, she had left before  
  
he had the chance.  
  
Her destination was one where she always went to when she wanted to be  
  
alone and undisturbed, the roof of the Masaki house. Ryoko never  
  
wondered why she chose that particular place to go, it just suited her.  
  
That difinitely Wasn't on her mind when she materialized on top of the  
  
roof and put her face in her hands, where she cried uncontrollably, her  
  
emotions spilling over like a waterfall that had been formed after a  
  
dam burst.  
  
She continued in this vein for a few minutes, until her crying had  
  
subsided to a whimper, then to a sniffle. Gradually, she regained  
  
some of her normal thought processes. When she realized what she had  
  
just done, she shivered. In the back of her mind, it scared her to  
  
think that merging with Zero had made her emotions that much stronger.  
  
Which made it that much more painful when...  
  
"Tenchi..." She cooed to herself, softly, in between sniffles.  
  
She still Couldn't believe that Tenchi had yelled at her like that.  
  
That was *difinitely* not the gentile, kind young boy she had seen,  
  
and the shy and outgoing young man he had turned into. She buried her  
  
face back in her arms.  
  
"Tenchi..." She moaned, softly. "What did I do to you..."  
  
And at that moment, her mind started going over what Tenchi had said.  
  
Not the tone of voice. That would not have helped anything, and would  
  
most likely plunge her further into dispear. Instead, she blocked out  
  
the tone, and focused on what he had said, instead. It was really  
  
hard, but gradually her mind began to gather bits and pieces back from  
  
the conversation...  
  
*You have got to stop appearing out of nowhere and scaring the *hell*  
  
out of me!*  
  
Ryoko sighed in dispear. She had snuck up on him several times in the  
  
past, but she had never gotten the feeling that he hated it so much.  
  
Teleportation was her primary way of getting around, and so she might  
  
have accidently snuck up on him a time or two. But all the other  
  
times, she had just been playing with Tenchi. She Didn't mean any harm  
  
by it.  
  
Her mind was still racing at a million miles an hour, but it managed  
  
to grab another piece of the conversation. And this time, she almost  
  
came ot the point of screaming again.  
  
  
  
*I'll tell you what's wrong! You and Ayeka constantly bickering and  
  
fighting over me! Do you know how close you two might have come to  
  
*killing* me?*   
  
A chill ran over Ryoko's body as she realized how right Tenchi was.  
  
When she was battling out with Ayeka, she never took anyone elses  
  
safety into consideration. Her mind went in multiple directions at  
  
once as she asked herself questions. What if she had killed Tenchi?  
  
Or what if she had made the house collapse and kill everyone inside?  
  
What if she had let her anger get carried away too much and kill  
  
Ayeka?  
  
*This is worse than when Sasami came into my room, crying, because she  
  
was having a bad dream and she Couldn't go to either of you for comfort  
  
because you two were duking it out! You two haven't changed a bit!*  
  
Ryoko shuddered as she realized how true that statement was. She had  
  
been ashamed at herself for overlooking Sasami like that, even if it  
  
*was* Ayeka's sister. Sasami was the only one who gave a damn about  
  
her in the household, and she had overlooked her. And to think that  
  
maybe being dumped unceremoniously into the lake would get them to  
  
become ashamed of themselves, and she and Ayeka would never fight  
  
again.  
  
Ryoko stifled a weak chuckle, in spite of herself. Things never seem  
  
to end in a fairy tale fashion. And now, her dream of being the love  
  
of Tenchi's life was shattered into a million pieces just because she  
  
had been heavy-handed. Ryoko Couldn't stand it, how much hurt she now  
  
realized she had inflicted on him...  
  
Suddenly, she heard a soft *crackle*. It was a soft crackle, almost  
  
too soft for a normal human to hear it. But Ryoko heard it, and almost  
  
on reflex, she teleported to the ground.  
  
That crackle meant that something was moving. Ryoko listened carefully  
  
one more only to confirm the sound of footfalls coming from the  
  
direction of the shrine. She steeled herself, for she knew that the  
  
footsteps could only mean one thing, that Tenchi was returning from the  
  
shrine.  
  
*This is it!* Ryoko told herself *I have to apologize to Tenchi right  
  
here and now, or otherwise, I might...loose him forever.*  
  
She shuddered at that last thought. Would he accept her apology?  
  
Would he even speak to her? She silently prayed to kamisama that he  
  
would forgive her, and had not already shut out his heart to her  
  
completely.  
  
Finally, she saw Tenchi coming out of the shadows made by the trees,  
  
and into the full moonlight.  
  
And with that, Ryoko's heart quivered for a moment before falling off  
  
its pedestal and dropping to the floor, shattering into a million  
  
pieces. And it was for this one simple fact:  
  
Tenchi Wasn't alone.   
  
He was standing there. With Ayeka by his side. And a smile on his  
  
face. It was as if someone had hit a panic button on the back of  
  
Ryoko neck.  
  
*Oh no...* Ryoko thought miserably to herself. *He was....alone...in  
  
the woods....with Ayeka....and he doesn't even look upset....no...he  
  
Couldn't have chosen her...just Couldn't have....he Wouldn't have...*  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi said with delight as he advanced on Ryoko. But the  
  
tone of delight was lost to Ryoko as her mind was swimming in a  
  
wretched pool of her sorrow. She was still repeating to herself:  
  
*No, he Couldn't have chosen...he Wouldn't have...he Couldn't*  
  
Suddenly, from the depths of her intelect, logic pieced itself together  
  
and formed a single phrase, so blatant that even the densest people  
  
Couldn't have ignored it.  
  
*He did.*  
  
"Tenchi..." Was the last thing she whimpered before her soul felt  
  
itself completely crushed with weight of hopelessness. Almost unable  
  
to bear it, she took a step backword and vanished.  
  
Tenchi, who had been running toward the place where Ryoko had been  
  
standing only moments ago, abruptly came to a halt. He blinked a  
  
few times, to make sure that his vision had not been failing him.  
  
*Huh?* he thought to himself. *I could have sworn that I had just  
  
seen Ryoko standing right in front of me...*  
  
Could that have been fake? Maybe he was so tired that he had...  
  
No..he saw her clearly. She was there. And she even said something  
  
before she...just vanished. Tenchi began to sink deep into thought.  
  
She was usually quite eager to see him. And especially after he had  
  
yelled at her like that...wouldn't she be willing to hear an apology?  
  
Wouldn't she?  
  
Well, maybe he *had* been a little harsh with Ryoko...  
  
Suddenly, something caught Tenchi's eye. Quickly, he glanced over in  
  
the direction of the thing in question, hoping that it was Ryoko.  
  
There was nothing there. But in his mind's eye, Tenchi could see  
  
something there, a creation of nothing but his conciousness...  
  
A shadow...a shadow of a woman that had once been standing in front of  
  
him...the only part that he could clearly make out were her eyes...her  
  
amber eyes....and a small reflection of moonlight on something...  
  
Tenchi gasped...  
  
*...A reflection of the moonlight caught a tear that was slowly  
  
trickeling down her face, and another followed it, and another...*  
  
Suddenly, Tenchi faded back to reality, and found that he was looking  
  
out over the dark blue lake, the reflection of the moonlight dancing  
  
upon its surface.  
  
The shadow was gone. But the triggered memory was not.  
  
He knew that he had hurt her feelings. No question of that.  
  
Otherwise, why would she had disappeared the first time. But the  
  
second time....  
  
*You two haven't changed a bit! So just go away!* he had yelled, earlier  
  
that night.  
  
Was she still hurt? Why else would she have run away?  
  
Suddenly Tenchi's guilt started to punch him in the chest, a far worse  
  
agony than any physical pain.  
  
*WHAM*  
  
Was she running away from him? Well, he *had* told her to go away...  
  
*WHAM*  
  
Tenchi clenched his teeth, trying to bear the sudden emotional  
  
onslaught. He was fighting a losing battle.  
  
Was she scared of him? Probably. After all, who Wouldn't be scared of  
  
someone else who just emotionally stabbed you in the heart?  
  
*WHAM*  
  
Tenchi's breaths started to come in short gasps as his emotions started  
  
to get the better of him.   
  
Could it be that she had given up on him?  
  
Given up...  
  
*WHAM*  
  
Given up? What was there to convince her otherwise? He had hardly  
  
ever shown any affection to Ryoko *before* the incident tonight. Had  
  
Ryoko been doubtful that he had ever loved her? What reason did she  
  
have to think he did? He had never *told* her!  
  
Not once!  
  
And now that he had yelled at her...what reason did she have to  
  
believe that he even *liked* her? He had just tossed her heart,  
  
knowingly or not, around like a plaything. And finally....tonight...  
  
He had...he had....broken it....  
  
*WHAM*  
  
Tenchi uttered a barely audiabe cry as his knees failed him, his  
  
analytical mind breaking down as his emotional mind took over. The  
  
Reassurance he had about Ryoko only a few minutes before now seemed  
  
like a distant memory.  
  
Women had always been a precious commodity to him, knowingly or not.  
  
His mother died when he was young. And until recently, he had never  
  
been around women who had any intrest in him. He had never had a  
  
relationship before with a woman that was beyond friendship.  
  
Then the opportunity had been thrust in his lap.  
  
And he had blown it.  
  
Tenchi shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. And a tear....one  
  
of the first tears Tenchi had shed in a long time...slowly trickled  
  
down his cheek  
  
*What kind of fool am I?* mused Tenchi, bitterly. *I never had the  
  
courage to admit my feelings because I was always afraid of a fight.  
  
But I ended up hurting both of them instead. And now I might have...  
  
Lost one of them.....How will I ever have a clear conscience for the  
  
rest of my life?*  
  
Another tear punctuated his thoughts as he sat on the ground in grief.  
  
"Tenchisama?" Came a voice...a comforting...yet sad...voice from  
  
beside him. It was then that Tenchi realized that there was a soft  
  
hand resting gently on his shoulder. Tenchi did not stir.  
  
"Tenchisama?" She repeated.  
  
"Aechan!" Tenchi sputtered, quite depressed and using all of his  
  
might to prevent himself from crying.  
  
Ayeka gasped. "Ae-....chan?"  
  
"Yes." Tenchi said. "I'm in love with you, Ayeka."  
  
Ayeka was obviously taken quite ashack by this turn of events. She  
  
Waited, however, to hear more.  
  
"Yeah. No more fooling around." Replied Tenchi. "I Wasn't stupid, I  
  
knew that you and Ryoko had feelings for me. And I just ran, scared  
  
of not only getting you guys angry, but scared of love period."  
  
Ayeka was silent. Tenchi continued.  
  
"I Didn't want to deal with love. I Didn't think I could handle it.  
  
And now, here I am, finally admiting that I Can't stand to leave you."  
  
Ayeka did not respond verbally. In her screaming mind, however, Ayeka  
  
was able to feel her heart beat just a little faster.  
  
"What kills me though is that I love Ryoko too." Tench continued,  
  
bitterly. "And I think I screwed it up with her in ways I Didn't know  
  
I could screw up. How the hell could I be so stupid?"  
  
Ayeka stood there, still trying to sort out what Tenchi had just  
  
said. His collapse had totally caught her off guard. At first, it  
  
frightened her, as Tenchi had been acting so unlike himself that night.  
  
But now...after taking in everything Tenchi had said...she started  
  
to understand...  
  
How someone who tried to keep peace by keeping quiet, but finally  
  
collapsed under the weight of the skirmishes and his own feelings felt.  
  
How someone who had denied his own feelings for so long, and only now  
  
had just been honest with himself and those around him felt.  
  
How a desperate person, who made a mistake and doesn't want to make the  
  
same mistake again, felt.  
  
There was no doubt in her mind that he loved her now. But could she  
  
accept Ryoko as well? Someone who had made her life so miserable and  
  
who loved the very same person she did?  
  
Suddenly, a memory came flashing back to her. The fire...the flames...  
  
The destruction. But most of all, the person...her brother...who left  
  
her, never to surface again until it was too late...  
  
No one should go through the agony of being separated from the ones  
  
they truely love and care about.  
  
"I understand, Tenchan." She said.  
  
"Wh....what?" Said Tenchi, still on his knees but slowly turning to  
  
face Ayeka. Ayeka reached down and gently grabbed his shoulder,  
  
helping him to his feet. As she did, Tenchi slowly turned to face her  
  
and started to clench onto her as if she was a vital piece of his  
  
heart. Which she was.  
  
"If I lost you, it would be the end of me. And as much as I hate to  
  
admit it....I would do anything to stay with you." Said Ayeka.  
  
"Ayeka...don't feel like you have to lower yourself to that...you Don't  
  
have to..." Said Tenchi.  
  
"I Couldn't be cruel enough to deny someone of the one person they  
  
truely loved." Stated Ayeka, passionately, almost about to cry herself.  
  
"I love you, Tenchan, and would rather die than be without you."  
  
"But why? All I ever did was play with your emotions." Replied Tenchi.  
  
"You said so yourself that you were afraid of love." Ayeka consoled.  
  
"Ten--chan, I was in love too. And it hurt too. But I Wouldn't have  
  
taken my choice to love back for anything in the eight systems."  
  
His emotions finally getting the better of him, Tenchi started to tear  
  
up.  
  
"Please Don't be sad." Ayeka pleaded, moving one of her hands further  
  
up on his shoulder, and using the other to slowly draw away a tear that  
  
was streaming across Tenchi's face.  
  
"It's joy, Ayeka." Tenchi reassured her, moving his hands to her  
  
shoulders.  
  
Ayeka's hand drifted away from his face and cradled his chin. They  
  
Looked into each others eyes, and each saw a Burdon, a piece of  
  
unfinished busindess, something that only one thing could remedy.  
  
They drew close, until they could feel each others breath on their  
  
faces, a warmth in an otherwise chilly night. Each knew what was  
  
inevitable, and in an instant, the inevitable finally happened as their  
  
lips met.  
  
The kiss. In the tears and emotions that followed, the Burdon that  
  
both Ayeka and Tenchi had been carrying that started the moment that  
  
they met was lifted.  
  
Gradually, they broke the kiss. Never had so much been lifted from  
  
their hearts at once. It was at that moment that they both felt  
  
something that they had experienced only once or twice before in their  
  
lives before. It was an impossible feeling to describe exactly, but  
  
if you had asked either of them to describe their feelings, they would  
  
have both said something to the effect of "Happiness, with a touch of  
  
bliss."  
  
Unfortunately, as they held each other in their embrace, there was  
  
still an unresolved thorn in the back of Tenchi's mind. Looking past  
  
Ayeka - for only a moment - he once again saw the lake, the pale moon  
  
still dancing on the surface.  
  
*I will not let you leave me, Ryoko.* Tenchi resolved to himself. *I  
  
Pray that I find you in the morning, safe and sound...and if not...I  
  
swear I will find you....I swear...*  
  
And once again, he surrendered himself to total bliss, standing with  
  
Ayeka...his Ayeka...under the moonlit sky.  
  
- = CONTACT INFO = -  
  
Comments and Constructive Criticism can be sent to:  
  
Email: alexmayfield@carolina.rr.com  
  
AIM: AlexMax2742  
  
Flames and Legal Threats can be sent to:  
  
DOS: NULL  
  
Windows 9x: Recycle Bin  
  
Linux: /dev/null  
  
Mac OS: Trash Can  
  
Windows XP: Just run Internet Explorer. That'll do the trick.  
  
- = LEGAL INFO = -  
  
I DO NOT own Tenchi Muyo! or anything associated with it.  
  
I DO own the text copyright to this material.  
  
(C) 2002 Alex Mayfield  
  
- = COMMING SOON = -  
  
Starlight: Special Edition  
  
Bounty Hunter (Working Title)  
  
Sunlight: The sequel to Moonlight (Working Title) 


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